The History Of The International Space Station’s Predecessor: The Russian “Mir” Was Truly Peaceful

Imagine a big smart house in space. A house where people peacefully coexist and work at an altitude of 400 km. We are talking about the International Space Station, the most high-tech structure ever created by man, which has been the outpost of humanity in space for 25 years. But before the ISS opened its hatches, there was another house in orbit, the old space station, smaller, but no less significant in its contribution to space exploration. 

This is the story of Mir, the International Space Station predecessor: a story about unique technological innovations, the strength of the human spirit and peaceful cooperation in times of the fast-changing world.

What Was Before The International Space Station?

The way to ISS was long and thorny. From 1971 to 1982, 8 stations were launched into orbit: 7 Soviet space stations “Salute” and one American Skylab. Soviet old space stations were like dorm rooms — small and cramped, offering Spartan conditions, so they were mostly used only for short-term expeditions. Skylab was quite spacious for the crew, but had a number of technological drawbacks that made the station unsuitable for long-term use.

“Mir” became the first multi-module space station. More and more new modules were gradually docked to the base block, launched on February 19, 1986 by the Proton launch vehicle: “Kvant”, “Kvant-2”, “Kristall”, “Spektr”, “Priroda” and a docking module for the space shuttle.

Was Mir bigger than the ISS? No. The ISS significantly surpassed the Soviet ISS predecessor in size. But it was its modular construction that formed the basis of the ISS.

Below, in the table, you see the comparison of the main parameters of the old space stations and the ISS

What Did Mir Stand For?

“Mir” sounds proud, and for a good reason! Translated from Russian, this word has two meanings: piece and world. Therefore, the name of the station reflected not only the peaceful goals of space exploration, but also the scale of the project! Soviet engineers had in mind to create not just a station, but an entire world in orbit, and they succeeded.

Life In Orbit: The Triumphs And Problems Of Mir Space Station

The ISS predecessor set a 20th century record for the longest operation. It spent 5,511 days in orbit, 4,594 of which it was inhabited. It was visited by 104 astronauts from 12 countries within 28 expeditions, more than 23 thousand scientific experiments were conducted, 35 astronauts went into outer space. But there were also risks that threatened not only the operation of the station, but also the lives of the astronauts.

Collision With “Kristall” Module (1994)

In January 1994, during manual control of the “Soyuz TM-17” spacecraft, it collided with the “Kristall” module. Fortunately, serious damage was avoided, but the incident showed how complex orbital operations are and how important control precision is.

Fire (1997)

On February 23, 1997, a fire broke out at the station due to an oxygen cartridge igniting. The crew managed to extinguish the fire, but the incident had serious consequences. For several months, the cosmonauts had to live in high temperatures and breathe polluted air. The fire also damaged some of the equipment.

Collision With “Progress М-34” (1997)

In June 1997, during an unsuccessful docking, the Progress M-34 cargo ship collided with the “Spektr” module, piercing the casing and causing depressurization. This incident caused the loss of power and a breakdown in the thermal control system. The cosmonauts had to isolate the damaged module and carry out complex repairs.

Failure Of Orientation Control System (1997) 

On 5 December, 1997, while testing of the new “Kurs” docking system, a failure occurred in the computer controlling the station’s orientation. “Mir” began to rotate uncontrollably and lose altitude. Using gyrodynes (special devices for orientation control), the cosmonauts stabilized the rotation and restored the station’s correct position in space.

Despite all the problems, “Mir” continued to function and accept cosmonauts for another 3 years after the ISS was put into operation.

What Happened To The Mir Space Station?

Although the predecessor to the International Space Station had an impressive list of achievements behind it, time took its toll. In 2001, Russia decided to stop using the station, which at that time had worked in orbit for 10 years longer than its allotted time. On March 23, 2001, “Mir” was deorbited in a controlled manner. Atmospheric friction caused the station to heat up and disintegrate. The surviving fragments fell into the Pacific Ocean in a special, remote area known as the “spacecraft cemetery”.

Why Was The Mir Decommissioned?

“Mir” was decommissioned for very pragmatic reasons:

• Age and wear: the old space station was developed for 5 years of operation, but served for 15. This led to significant wear and tear on the equipment and numerous system failures.
• Safety issues: Technological ageing provoked an increased risk to the safety of astronauts. The station required significant modernization.
• Limited funding: After the collapse of the USSR, Russia faced economic difficulties. The maintenance and modernization of “Mir” required costs disproportionate to the expected benefits. 
• Focus on ISS: The ISS was a new joint project with broader international participation. Russia decided to focus its resources and efforts on it.

Despite the end of its mission, the ISS predecessor left a bright mark in history as a prove to human ingenuity and an important milestone in space exploration.

What Will Be The Successor To The ISS?

The ISS is cool, of course, but it won’t last forever. NASA modules are certified until 2028, and the Russian ones have already expired a year ago. The station is scheduled to be deorbited in 2030, but Axiom Space is preparing four new modules to replace the old ones, so ISS will still serve.

What’s next? Private stations, Chinese “Tiangong”, Lunar Gateway. Or maybe when we find ourselves on the Moon again or fly to Mars, we’ll build stations there? Who knows!

The Mir Legacy For The World

Whatever the future is waiting for us in space, “Mir” left us a heritage without which this future would be unattainable. It’s not just an International Space Station predecessor, it’s a symbol of the beginning of an entire era, an era of peaceful international cooperation in space and on Earth. And although that “Mir” has sunk into oblivion, and this world is once again engulfed in war, there is always hope for the piece.

References And Additional Information:

• Mir Soviet-Russian space station https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mir-Soviet-Russian-space-station 
• Remembering near-death dramas on a Russian space station https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/collision-russian-space-station-mir-almost-ended-tragedy 
• Mir space station https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4225/mir/mir.htm 
• Mir FAQs – Facts and history https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Mir_FAQs_-_Facts_and_history